DEAL — Rabbi Saul Kassin, the 89-year-old spiritual leader of the nation’s largest Syrian Sephardic Jewish congregation, admitted Monday his role in a scheme that used religious charities to launder tens of thousands of dollars.

Kassin, who pleaded guilty to one count of operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, admitted he transmitted between $200,000 and $400,000 through his charity Magen Israel Society between June 2007 and December 2008.

The transactions were arranged by Solomon Dwek, a disgraced developer who was secretly working for the FBI after he was arrested in an unrelated, $50 million bank fraud.

The massive sting operation came to light in July 2009, when Kassin and four other Orthodox rabbis, along with three mayors, two assemblymen and dozens of other public officials and many more in the religious community, were arrested on myriad charges ranging from money laundering to political corruption. One man was charged with brokering black-market kidneys.

Kassin said Dwek gave him bank checks and he made out checks payable — less a 10 percent commission — to charitable organizations, knowing the money was not for charitable purposes.

The plea itself was not without its drama.

Kassin, the retired rabbi of Congregation Sharee Zion in Brooklyn, was frail and slight, but shuffled into the courtroom in Trenton like a man used to getting his way, ready to tell the judge what he thought of the money-laundering charges against him.

Rabbi Saul Kassin leaves federal court after being charged withRabbi Saul Kassin, the chief rabbi of Sharee Zion in Brooklyn, leaves court after being charged with money laundering of proceeds derived from criminal activity. Kassin was one of 44 people charged in a corruption probe by the FBI. (Video by A.J. Chavar, Michael Monday, and John Munson/The Star-Ledger)

Dressed in a black suit and black hat, Kassin at times appeared confused, prompting his two attorneys to occasionally interrupt the proceedings to explain U.S. District Judge Joel Pisano’s questions. Pisano called a brief recess in the first minutes of the hearing when Kassin insisted on making a statement.

“I’d like to speak a few words,” Kassin said, reaching into an envelope in his hand.

“Stop. Stop,” Pisano said patiently. “There will come a time where you can speak and say anything you want, but this is not it.”

“I don’t think that’s right,” Kassin answered.

“You may not think that’s right, but that’s the way it is,” Pisano said.

Because of Kassin’s hearing problems, Pisano let him stand flanked by his attorneys in front of the judge’s bench rather than at the defense table. Pisano conducted most of the questioning, a role usually reserved for the federal prosecutor.

Kassin also agreed to forfeit $367,500, a portion of the funds seized from the charity’s bank account and his home.

He faces between 18 and 24 months in prison when he is sentenced on July 12 but federal prosecutors agreed not to ask Pisano for prison time.

After court Monday, defense attorney Gerald Shargel said Kassin did not know he had to be licensed by the state or registered with the federal government to transmit money. He said his client agreed to a plea deal to avoid a trial when he couldn’t get the charges dismissed.

“The amount of time and anguish and the toll it would take would be immeasurable,” Shargel said. “Rabbi Kassin is on in years. He’s very trusting and he was duped by a scoundrel.”

When he surrendered, Kassin, whose followers were from Brooklyn and Deal, was accused of meeting with Dwek five times between June 2007 and December 2008. Dwek, who was secretly recording the meetings, told Kassin he wanted to hide money from the Internal Revenue Service from among other activities, a supposed knockoff handbag business he ran.

The Israeli-born Kassin, who lives in Brooklyn, is the 26th to plead guilty in the case, which included more than 40 arrests. Three others have been convicted, two acquitted and charges are pending against 13 others.